Antiwear Additive Derived from Soybean Oil and Boron Utilized in a Gear Oil Formulation

Abstract

The synthesis of lubricant additives based on boron and epoxidized soybean oil are presented. These additives are made from a simple patent pending method involving a ring-opening reaction of the epoxidized oil. A couple of these borates were tested in soybean oil, polyalpha olefin basestock, group III basestock, and hexadecane. An aromatic additive was able to increase the oxidation onset of the basestocks by 14, 52, 48, and 49 °C, respectively, when used at 2% wt. The other additive was shown to reduce the wear scar diameter in a friction test when used in soybean oil basestock, from 0.61 mm down to 0.41 mm. These additives were also tested in a gear oil blend, and shown to reduce both wear and oxidation. They were also compatible with a popular additive, additive zinc dialkyl dithiophosphate.